Tree of the week: Italian stone pine

Good morning Mark Sanchez, on this, the first Saturday of the 2008 college football season. By my reckoning, this fall will mark Pieter Severynen's sixth season of providing us with his weekly appreciation of the trees that make Los Angeles into one of the world's great urban forests. Thank you, Pieter.

(Italian) stone pine – Pinus pinea

The stone pine is one of our oldest plant companions. Its edible seeds (pine nuts, pinoli) have been harvested for thousands of years and it may well be the first pine tree used and cultivated by early man. It probably originated in and near the Iberian Peninsula, but since prehistoric times it was known and planted all around the Mediterranean Sea.

A moderately fast-growing evergreen, the stone pine can grow to 40 to 80 feet tall by 40 to 60 feet wide. It changes shape as it does so, steadily gaining in character along the way. It starts out as a thick, bushy, round-headed tree; in middle age it develops a many-branched umbrella shape, supported by a thick trunk; and in later age it becomes broader and more flat-topped. Branches may become hugely thick with age and the tree gives the impression of tremendous strength. The bark is thick, reddish-brown in color and deeply fissured. Juvenile leaves are short, single, and blue-green in color; the 5- to 8-inch-long, stiff, adult, bright green needle-like leaves are borne in bundles of two. Broadly oval, glossy-brown cones, 4 to 6 inches long, which take three years to mature, follow the female flowers. The tree is drought-tolerant and loves full sun. Over-watering may cause branch drop. As a street tree or garden specimen it needs room at the top as well as plenty of space for its roots.

The Romans thought that the seeds had aphrodisiacal qualities. Grown commercially for its seeds, the stone pine is also widely planted for its beautiful shape. The Italians were so familiar with the tree that it was almost unavoidable that the stone pine became a favorite subject in Renaissance paintings.

Thanks again, Pieter.

Your thoughts? Comments?

-- Peter Viles

Photo credit: Pinien La Brena 2004, via Wikipedia Commons

Comments

[syscom3]

How does it handle high winds .... like we get with Santa Ana's?

[anon1137]

" . . . that make Los Angeles into one of the world's great urban forests."

This comment is puzzling. I don't think of LA as being a city known for its street trees, but I appreciate Pieter's weekly post nevertheless.

[Valley Observer]

How did he get it to have that shape with no lower branches? I had one but after 10 years it was so large at all elevations that I had it removed to give the other plants some room.

As for a city of trees, go up on Mulholland and look at the Valley. You can't see any houses, they're all hidden by trees. The only visible development is the large industrial and commercial buildings. The trees consume a lot of water and will have to be removed some day, along with our lawns.

[anon1137]

valleyobserver, the trees will not be removed to save water. Los Angeles needs many more trees, not fewer trees, to reduce energy consumption from a/c use, reduce air pollution, and reduce CO2 in the atmosphere.

As for LA's great urban forest, my impression as an outsider is that LA is more a city of concrete than a city of trees. I found this from a quick search of the web:

" . . . in Los Angeles, a significant improvement in a city with a tree canopy cover of only 18 percent, according to a study by the Center for Urban Forest Research in Davis. The national average is 27 percent."

[bobg44]

Am I happy to see this, having just returned from the Italian Med. Great feature. Where can you see his previous selected trees? Has he checked out Santa Monica's incredible selection?

[Michael McQuiston]

Does anyone know of a resource for stone pine trees?
Preferaly mature trees, anywhere in US.